


Theory

by coffeewordangel



Series: College AU [2]
Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 14:08:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13637841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeewordangel/pseuds/coffeewordangel
Summary: Gerard's Art show, companion piece to Composition.





	Theory

Gerard can hear Frank swearing in the bathroom. When he gets to ‘goddamn motherfucking cocksucking whore,’ Gerard figures maybe it’s time to intervene. Still, he pauses in the doorway for his own amusement first because pissed off Frank is ten different kinds of hot.

“Problems?” Gerard asks, bending slightly to hook his chin over Frank’s shoulder.

Frank’s reflection glares at him. “Fuck you. I hate this fucking thing.”

Gerard reaches around and deftly ties the bowtie of Frank’s tux. “Better?”

“No,” Frank snorts. “I still look like a fucking penguin.”

“Penguins are cute,” Gerard soothes. Frank glares harder and Gerard swears he’s pushed his lower lip into a pout. Over wearing a tuxedo.

“I don’t want to be _cute_.”

Gerard decides discretion is the better part of valor and elects not to tell Frank that between the pouting and the bangs falling in his eyes he looks like a petulant child. Instead he gently nips Frank’s earlobe. “I hear they’re also devious, calculating little fuckers.”

“Okay. I could live with that.”

Gerard laughs against Frank’s neck. “You don’t look like a fucking penguin, you idiot. You look hot. Just think how much fun I’ll have taking you out of it after.”

Frank melts back against Gerard’s chest. “Hey, an upside.”

“Mmhmm.” Gerard nuzzles Frank’s jaw. “Cab will be here in five minutes.”

“Are you nervous?”

Gerard takes a deep breath. “Kind of. I mean, this is a huge part of our grade and I’d really like to not flunk out of art school. But everyone thinks they’re going to get discovered here and that’s just bullshit.”

“You don’t care what all the art critics think?”

“God no,” Gerard snorts. “I just want a job. So we’re going to go, drink whatever cheap champagne they sprung for this year, smile politely whenever anyone praises me because they’re just going to degrade my work five minutes later, and then we’re going to come back home and have lots of sex.”

Frank turns and presses a chaste kiss to the corner of Gerard’s mouth. “Sounds like a plan.”

\---

They are not early. In fact, they are almost thirty minutes late. Gerard only feels bad about this when he realizes there’s a group of people in front of his exhibit waiting for him. People who include his mother. His stomach begins to knot. It’s one thing to show what he’s created to people he barely knows, whose opinions he doesn’t care about, it’s another to have his family and friends see it.

“Ohgod,” Gerard mutters, clinging to Frank’s elbow. “Who invited Mom?”

“Probably Mikey,” Frank reasons.

“And who invited Mikey?” Gerard asks tightly.

Frank bites his lip. “Um. Me?”

Frank looks worried so Gerard squeezes his hand. “It’s fine. I’m glad you invited him. It’s just a surprise.”

“Okay. Um. Bob brought New Guy?” Frank frowns.

“Be nice,” Gerard hisses. “Look how happy Bob is. They’re cute! When’s the last time Bob dated anyone?”

“He dates!”

“Oh, you can’t count that ginger kid you hooked him up with. He was still in love with his ex-boyfriend. It was a fucking disaster.”

Frank gives him a wounded look. “It wasn’t _that_ bad. They exchanged blow jobs and e-mail addresses and they ended up being friends. No harm, no foul. Besides, how was I supposed to know Pete was his soul mate or whatever?”

Gerard just shakes his head. “Worst matchmaker ever. The point is, be nice. Ray’s a good guy. Don’t scare him off.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Frank says innocently. “I’m completely harmless.”

“Oh my god,” Gerard groans. “Let’s just go say hi to everyone. Remember: stay with people you know. Do not engage the pretentious art fucks in active conversation. That way lies madness and the destruction of your soul.”

“You’re such a people person, Gerard.”

“I hate everyone,” Gerard replies cheerily. “Mikey!”

Everyone turns and Gerard is lost in a flurry of hugs and congratulations. Calm washes over him immediately. He hasn’t seen his family in months and he and Mikey have a lot to catch up on. Still, he keeps an eye on Frank, who’s talking to Bob and Ray. So far it looks like he’s behaving himself; a little handsy, but tame for Frank.

“And how’s the boyfriend?” Mikey asks teasingly.

Gerard can feel the stupid grin on his face, but he’s incapable of making it go away. “He’s a handful.”

Mikey raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Gerard blushes. Hard. “Shut up. That’s not what I meant.”

His brother laughs at him. “So you’re not sticking around because he’s young and agile?”

“I hate you.”

“Hey, I’m just fulfilling my brotherly duty to tease you mercilessly about your sex life.”

Gerard rolls his eyes. “When you get one I’ll return the favor.”

Mikey clutches his chest in mock agony. “You wound me. No, really, that hurts, Gerard. Deeply.”

“What are we talking about?” Frank asks brightly, tucking himself into the space against Gerard’s shoulder and handing over a glass of champagne.

The champagne is terrible, as expected. “Mikey’s expressing his jealousy over the fact that I’m getting fucked on a regular basis and he is not.”

Frank slowly runs his gaze over Mikey’s frame and licks his lips while Gerard bites the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “You could always join us,” Frank invites throatily.

Mikey blanches. “Wh…what?”

Gerard gives up, shaking with laughter and burying his face in Frank’s hair. It smells faintly of shampoo and smoke. God, he loves this boy.

“Evil. You’re evil,” Mikey states accusatorily. “Also, ew.”

Gerard grins at him. “How are you not used to this by now?”

“If you’d bring him home once in a while I’d remember that he’s made of evil and ignore his advances.”

“Yeah, why haven’t you taken me home with you before?”

Gerard feels cornered. He’s got Mikey _and_ Frank looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. He meets Frank’s gaze and holds it. “I. Did you _want_ to come with me?”

Frank nods slowly. “Of course.”

“Okay. Next time I go home, you’ll come with,” Gerard replies decisively. He looks around. “Um. Where did everyone go?”

“Mom’s talking to some blowhard who keeps trying to impress her with his knowledge of Manet or something,” Mikey answers. “It would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic.”

“Bob and Ray are fucking in the bathroom,” Frank adds.

“What?”

Frank grins, all teeth and insinuation. “Actually, I can’t prove they’re fucking, but they were sort of twitchy while I was talking to them. They disappeared when I went to grab a glass of champagne.”

Gerard rubs his temples. “And you didn’t make a scene? No defending of Bob’s honor?”

Frank looks affronted. “It wasn’t _you_ New Guy dragged into the bathroom for a quickie. So, no.” He slides another look over Mikey and winks. “Besides, I weighed my options and decided coming over here to tease Mikey’s sweet ass was more fun.”

“I hate you,” Mikey retorts.

Frank smiles sweetly. “Lying is bad for the soul, Mikeyway.”

\---

Gerard is beginning to get a headache by the time Bob and Ray reappear, looking slightly rumpled and nauseatingly happy. Ray has tell-tale beard burn on his neck and Bob’s tie is crooked. It’s kind of sweet. It also gives him a much-needed excuse to quit making small talk with people he can’t stand. It’s not that he hates _everyone_ he goes to school with, but most of them really _are_ pretentious assholes who think they’re going to be the art world’s Next Big Thing. Delusions of grandeur really aren’t all that attractive or interesting.

“Hey you two,” Gerard greets. “I didn’t even get to say ‘hi’. Where did you run off to?”

Ray blushes and Bob ducks his head. “Um.”

“Quit teasing them, Gee,” Frank chides. “I told you they were fucking in the bathroom.”

“Not the bathroom,” Ray mumbles. 

Gerard holds up his hands. “You know what? That’s okay. I don’t really want to know.”

“I do,” Frank contradicts brightly. “Is he good, Bobby? He looks like he’s be good. You were right, by the way, his ass _is_ fairly awesome.”

The look Ray gives Bob is somewhere between flattered and scandalized. “What?”

Bob glowers at Frank. “Why we are still friends, Iero, is a mystery.”

“I know all of your deepest, darkest secrets. You’ll never be rid of me.”

“I could always arrange to have you killed and dumped off a bridge,” Bob grumbles.

“And then who would you have to kick your ass at every video game ever? No, I serve a vital purpose: I keep you humble. Also, I’m adorable.”

Bob snorts. “You keep telling yourself that.”

Gerard rolls his eyes and pulls Ray aside. “So. Bob tells me you almost went into film school?”

Ray looks startled. “He told you that? I didn’t think he even remembered _me_ telling _him_ that.”

“I kind of think he remembers everything you’ve ever told him,” Gerard reveals gently. “He’s kind of…stoic, I guess is the closes word. Keeps things close, doesn’t reveal much about himself. But he’s crazy about you. I can tell.”

Ray digests this information, looks from Gerard to Bob and back again. “I didn’t know,” he finally says.

“Yeah. Well.” Gerard shrugs. “Hope that doesn’t freak you out.”

“What? No! Of course not.”

Gerard smirks. “You really just want to drag him back to the dorm now, don’t you?”

“Kinda, yeah.” Ray blushes.

“What are you waiting for? You showed up, fulfilled your obligations. Go!” Gerard makes a shooing gesture.

Ray still looks hesitant, like he’s waiting for Gerard to rescind the offer and kick him in the teeth or something. This kid needs better friends and Gerard is determined to take him under his wing and break him out of his shell and, oh, his brain’s doing that mixed metaphors thing which probably means he needs to pack up Frank and get the hell out of here himself.

“I’m serious,” Gerard states. He turns to Bob. “Hey, Bryar, you’ve been at this freak show long enough. Take your boy and get the hell out of here. Go show him a good time, hmm?”

“Yes sir,” Bob replies with a smirk, taking Ray’s hand.

Ray pauses to address Gerard. “Thank you for inviting me. I had a nice time.”

“Oh my god, the manners on this kid,” Gerard teases. “Your mom is gonna _love_ him, Bob.”

Bob flips him off and drags Ray toward the door. Gerard watches them go. Frank moves next to him and slides an arm around his waist. It’s a warm, welcome weight.

“You’re a nice guy, Gee,” Frank murmurs against Gerard’s shoulder.

“Shh! Don’t let that get out. You’ll ruin my reputation as a heartless misanthrope.”

Frank snorts. “You only pretend to hate everyone, you know. Underneath it all you just keep hoping that people will be better, that they’ll do the right thing.”

Gerard shrugs. “Are you ready to get out of here yet? I hate these people.”

“I’ve been ready since we got here. I came, I did the proud boyfriend thing, I made nice with our friends and your family and I’m ready for a fucking reward.”

“Fine. Let’s go say goodbye to Mom and Mikey and we’ll go home so I can ravish you properly,” Gerard laughs.

Frank’s hand wanders down to grab Gerard’s ass in response.


End file.
